97-Year-Old Twin Sisters Die of Exposure Outside Rhode Island Home

Elderly twins, Jean Haley and Martha Williams, who were living together during their twilight years both perished on the same, freezing cold night, having fallen near their Rhode Island home, reports say.

When police arrived, they discovered Martha’s body outside, on the driveway behind her car and Jean’s body just inside the cold garage. It appears they both fell and then perished from the arctic blast that hit the Rhode Island town of Barrington.

“At this time investigators believe that foul play was not involved and Ms. Williams may have fallen in the driveway walking to her car. Ms. Haley may have tripped on a rug on the floor of the garage as she attempted to enter her house to call for assistance,” Barrington Police Chief John LaCross said in a statement.

No official cause of death has been determined, but the Barrington Police said the “extreme cold temperatures that evening may have been a factor.”

Overnight temperatures from Friday, March 4 to Saturday morning dropped to as low as 11 degrees, with wind chills as low as minus 8, according to the AP.

The family of the victims of the accidental deaths issued a statement thanking people who have extended their condolences. The family remembered the pair as an inspiration with a great passion for life but said they weren’t prepared to offer a full eulogy at this time.

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